persist
To keep trying and refuse to give up.
persist in a sentence
- Even after ten wobbly falls, Mia chose to persist until she could ride her bike alone.
- You must persist with your spelling practice, because giving up now would waste all that effort.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to persist?
- Asurrender
- Bcontinue
- Cstop
- Dquit
Show the answer
B: continue. The other three mean the opposite of persist.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to persist?
- Aquit
- Bcontinue
- Cpersevere
- Dendure
Show the answer
A: quit. The other three mean nearly the same as persist.
Words that mean something similar
continue, persevere, endure
Words that mean the opposite
quit, stop, surrender
More words about character & personality
- petty: Small and unimportant, or mean about little things.
- pioneer: Someone who is one of the first to explore a place or try something new.
- placid: Calm and not easily upset or excited.
- pluck: The courage to do something scary.
- poised: Calm, steady and ready to act.
- pompous: Acting too grand and important.
- prudent: Careful and sensible, thinking ahead before you act.
- quirky: Unusual in an interesting or charming way.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test